Archive for the ‘economics’ Tag

Though significantly advanced in age, I never knew a foolproof method for getting rid of hiccups until recently. Contracting a case of the hiccups always meant long and helpless minutes, unable to speak properly, an instant slave to the disability and incapable of any remedy except patience. I’d tried the old standards – holding my breath, drinking from a glass upside down, exactly nine sips of water, the whole 9 yards. Nothing worked with any reliability.

And then my sweetie introduced me to the miracle cure. Exhale completely, and point the tips of your index fingers at one another, about a foot in front of your face. Bring your fingertips as close togther as possible without touching, remaining in the exhale. Gaze hard at your fingers until you’re forced to inhale again. It works like magic.

Your creativity is a little like this, also. It’s an ability you have that when consciously enacted brings seemingly magical solutions. It is the greatest gift to humanity because it makes solutions possible where none seemed to exist.

The feeling of helplessness is pervasive amongst Americans: we rage against economic hardship, social prejudices, political inanities – but have no faith in our ability to impact these problems. But the truth is that every one of us is capable of locating all desired solutions for ourselves. And collectively, our creativity can provide all society’s solutions. Just like the marvelous hiccup cure, solutions exist everywhere in all their glorious simplicity.

Chris Anderson, editor of Wired magazine and author of The Long Tail has written an exciting and enlightening article about the new *FREE* economy. Check it out here. This is mind bending stuff, and vital info for anyone in business today.

The bottom line is that the bottom line has become far more sophisticated. The new perspectives and possibilities offered by the internet age have resulted in a new interpretation of value. We still value money, of course, but the intangibles of reputation and attention suddenly have huge worth. More and more every day, we are becoming aware that money is not to be obtained without these other values also firmly in place. The three values are becoming so closely aligned that it’s now understood that by building reputation and attention, one simultaneously builds monetary wealth.

The synthesis of unlikely elements is a characteristic of creativity. Interesting how the macrocosm of the overall economy mirrors the microcosm of personal growth. As our economy migrates towards a more complex system of values, we’re also increasingly concerned with the well-balanced personal life and the creative approach to work and productivity.

If we follow the above threads, we can take a hint from this organic evolution of our society, to help develop our personal creativity. Lay one reality on top of another and presto! you have a new expression.

To practice, pick up any two objects on your desk and examine them as if they were one thing instead of two. What are all the different ways they could go together? If you’re well-tuned to your sensations, the simple act of bringing these two objects together causes an instant stream of images and stories in your head. Though the actual content of these thoughts may be rather silly, without obvious application to your uses, it’s the process and your awareness of it that’s important here.

After you become comfortable with this way of perceiving, try synthesizing bigger things: your important meeting today combined with your craving for tacos; your broken washing machine combined with getting a haircut; your business leads list combined with your photography hobby. The fresh combination of any two things is the beginning of anything creative.